The relationship between psychological well-being and impression management behaviors of sports organization employees

The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between psychological well-being levels and impression management behaviors of individuals working as managers, coaches and membership services personnel in sports service businesses. Another aim is to examine the differences between the selected variables according to gender, age, education, professional experience, position in the organization, doing sports and receiving in-service training. The research was designed according to quantitative research methods and the relational screening comparison model was preferred. The population of the research consists of employees working in public and private sports enterprises in Istanbul. The sample consists of (n=289) volunteer participants determined by convenience sampling method. In order to collect data in the study, Google Forms platform was used as an online survey application. Personal information form, psychological well-being scale and impression management scales were applied to the participants. The data obtained were entered into the SPSS 22 package program and the analysis was carried out through this program. Distribution normality was analyzed using kurtosis and skewness values. T-test was used for two independent group comparisons, one-way analysis of variance and Welch statistics were used for more than two group comparisons. Bonferroni multiple comparison test was used for multiple comparisons. A significance level of 0.05 was used as a criterion for interpreting whether the values obtained were significant or not. As a result, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the psychological well-being and impression management sub-dimensions according to the age variable of the participants. According to the gender variable, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the scores of individual development, life goals and self-acceptance from the psychological well-being and impression management sub-dimensions of men compared to women. It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the psychological well-being level of sport business employees according to their educational level. It is seen that this situation is due to the difference between undergraduate, high school and equivalent and postgraduate education level. At the level of impression management sub-dimensions, it is seen that it is due to the difference between high school and equivalent and undergraduate, graduate and associate degree education level. It was determined that there was a significant difference in the level of psychological well-being and impression management sub-dimensions according to the professional experience of the participants. It is seen that this difference is due to the difference between 1-3 and 4-6 years and 10 years and above at the level of psychological well-being. According to the professional experience variable, it is seen that there is a significant difference between 1-3 years, 7-9 and 10 years and above at the level of impression management sub-dimensions. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the sub-dimensions of psychological well-being and impression management according to the years of working in the organization. Autonomy from psychological well-being sub-dimensions according to the duties of sport business employees. It was determined that there were significant differences between coaches and managers in the sub-dimensions of autonomy, environmental dominance, positive relationships with others, life goals and self-acceptance, and between membership services and managers and coaches in the sub-dimension of individual development. It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in the psychological well-being and impression management sub-dimensions of sport business employees according to their in-service training status. This difference was found to be in the sub-dimensions of environmental dominance, positive relationships with others, life goals, self-acceptance at the level of psychological well-being sub-dimensions, and in the sub-dimensions of trying to pity yourself and trying to show yourself as an exemplary personnel at the level of impression management sub-dimensions. It has been determined that there is a statistically significant difference between those who regularly do sports and those who never do sports in psychological well-being and impression management sub-dimensions. It was determined that there is a moderate and weak negative relationship between psychological well-being and impression management levels of sport business employees, and as the psychological well-being levels of employees increase, impression management behaviors decrease.